Swedish rock band The Hives sat down with NME in London, before the band opens the show for Arctic Monkeys at the Emirates Stadium, as a part of the group’s ‘The Car Tour’.
During the interview, Pelle Almqvist shared his thoughts about touring with Arctic Monkeys:
“We toured with them in South America about 10 years ago and had a great time, so I’m really happy they wanted us back. It’s a really great tour to be on; it’s really fun. I think Arctic Monkeys are fucking amazing. They’re the only good really popular band – and that’s not easy to do.”
About The Hives initially inspiring Monkeys to come together, Pelle said:
“They told us that the first week or month that they started the band, they saw The Hives and The Strokes and that was the thing that really started it off for them. “
NME previously had a separate interview with Monkeys drummer Matt Helders, and Helders talked about having The Hives with them for tour:
“The Hives were definitely one of the bands that we were all listening to when we first started our band. We’ve played a few shows around the world with them before, and they are always so much fun to watch. It’s always such a good feeling when you’re excited to see the band that’s on before you.”
You can check out ‘The Car’ tour dates here.